JF 489 / 



IPrice, 25 Cents. 



! The Book of the Dorking. 




; A BRIEF MONOGRAPH 

/ UPON THE 

] Orip, Varieties, Mdm anfl Maiapinent 

( OF THE 

DORKING FOW^L. 



By H. H. STODDARD, 

EDITOR OF "the POULTRY WORLD," " THE AMERICAN POULTRY YARD," AND " THE CO- 
OPERATIVE POULTRY POST." AUTHOR OF "aN EGG FARM," "POULTRY DISEASES," 
"poultry ARCHITECTURE," "LIGHT BRAHMAS," " WHITE LEGHORNS," 

"brown LEGHORNS," "PLYMOUTH ROCKS," " WYANDOTTES." / 

".THE BOOK OF THE GAMES," "tHE BOOK OF THE \ 

BANTAMS," "domestic WATER FOWL," \ 

"how to FEED FOWLS." " HOW TO WIN POULTRY PRIZES," " HOW TO PRESERVE EGGS,' ( 

"incubation; natural and artificial," "how to raise PIGEONS," ETC. ( 

PUBLISHER OF " HOW TO RAISE POULTRY ON A LARGE SCALE," / 

"a POULTRY COMPENDIUM," ETC. ) 



HARTFORD, CONN. 

1886. 



I 



The Book of the Dorking, 

A BRIEF MONOGRAPH 



UPON THE 



Grip, Varieties, Breefling aM ManapmeDt 



OF THE 



DORKINa FOAVL. 



By H. H. STODDARD, 

EDITOR OF "the POULTRY WORLD," " THE AMERICAN POULTRY YARD," AND " THE CO- 
OPERATIVE POULTRY POST." AUTHOR OF "aN EGG FARM," "POULTRY DISEASES," 
"poultry ARCHITECTURE," "LIGHT BRAHMAS," " WHITE LEGHORNS," 
"brown leghorns," "PLYMOUTH ROCKS," " WYANDOTTES," 
"the BOOK OF THE GAMES," " THE BOOK OF THE 
BANTAMS," "domestic WATER FOWL," 
'"How TO FEED FOWLS," " HOW TO WIN POULTRY PRIZES," " HOW TO PRESERVE EGGS," 
"incubation; natural and artificial," "how to raise PIGEONS," ETC. 
PUBLISHER OF " HOW TO RAISE POULTRY ON A LARGE SCALE," 
"a POULTRY COMPENDIUM," ETC. 

9dp. 




HARTFORD, CONN. ^' 

1886. 



5F4S? 
.Vis 



Copyright, i8S6, by J I. H. Stoddard, Hartford, Conn. 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 



HISTORICAL. 

IN a picturesque valley twenty-nine miles south of Lon- 
don by rail lies the market town of Dorking. It has 
a population of about five thousand. The town is situ- 
ated on a small brook, a tributary of the Mole, in a 
sheltered vale near the base of Box Hill. It is well 
built and clean. Among its noted buildings are the 
Parish church of St. Martin's, a handsome edifice, and 
St. Paul's district church, a building of some pretensions. 
Several elegant mansions have been erected in the vicin- 
ity of the town, notably that of Deepdeen, containing a 
gallery of sculpture collected by the late Thomas Hope, 
the author of Anastasius ; near by is also the Rookery 
where Malthus, celebrated for his essay on population, 
was born. Lime of exceptionally good quality is burnt 
to a large extent in the neighborhood, and forms an 
important article of trade ; it is derived from the Lower 
Chalk formation. The old Roman road from the Sussex 
coast to the Thames passed close to the town. Dorking 
is celebrated throughout England for its romantic scenery, 
and has long been famous for a finely flavored breed of 
fowls, distinguished by their having five claws upon each 



6 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

foot. These fowls are in great demand in the T>ondon 
markets, and are regarded as the best table fowls pro- 
duced in the country. They are known by the name of 
Dorkings, derived from the town which has so long bred 
them in a high degree of perfection. 

The English people are very conservative. The family 
tree is regarded as the most important of all trees. 
They really believe that it grew in the Garden of Eden. 
A long lineage is something to boast of. It is told of 
a certain noble family that in the portrait gallery there 
is a picture representing one of their ancestors entering 
the ark and bearing in his hand a roll containing the 
family pedigree for centuries previous to the flood. The 
truth of this story we do not vouch for, but it fittingly 
represents the feeling of the people. They are fully in 
harmony with the sentiment, "Old wood to burn! Old 
wine to drink ! Old friends to trust ! Old authors to 
read!" Like Goldsmith, each one says: "I love every- 
thing that's old. Old friends, old times, old manners, 
old books, old wine," and we may add, old varieties of 
fowls. Unlike the American people, who resemble the 
ancient Athenians in their rage for something new, age 
gives, as it ought to, an added value to everything in 
the eyes of the English. Age does add worth, for it in- 
sures stability, and when excellence can boast of age, it 
becomes even more excellent. It means in poultry that 
the characteristics have become so fixed as to be uni- 
formly transmitted that we can expect the chick to be 
like its parents, for its parents are like a long line of 
ancestors, every one of which possessed the same charac- 
teristics. Nothing so tries the patience of the poultry 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 7 

breeder as to find that a fine looking pen of fowls pro- 
duces a lot of chicks uneven in quality and uncertain in. 
characteristics, resembling neither themselves nor their 
progenitors. And this is the result to be expected from 
new breeds. 

The Dorking is the most popular fowl in England. 
It boasts of a long lineage. It traces its origin to a 
time when England was not a nation, when the inhabi- 
tants of that now most highly civilized country were 
painted savages. It antedates royalty. Before William the 
Conqueror, the Dorking was; before the battle of Hast- 
ings, the Dorking had conquered popularity. It takes us 
back to the ancient city of Rome, "which sat upon her 
seven hills and ruled the world; " it brings us to the 
fountain of jurisprudence, to the foundations of order 
and society. In comparison, other breeds are puny up- 
starts without a pedigree, the noveau riche, the plebeian, 
nobility, made and unmade by a royal word. It is the 
most patrician of the patricians, the noblest of the nobles, 
the most regal of the royal families. 

It is supposed that the Dorkings were introduced into 
Britain by the Romans. Along with the conquering co- 
horts of Caesar, marched the equally victorious Dorking. 
The walls that were built, the fortifications that were 
erected and the roads that were made stiil bear witness 
to the Roman invasion; and no less so does this cele- 
brated breed of fowls. In very early Latin writings we 
find a description of fowls, both white and colored, that 
accurately represents this breed. Columella has thus 
clearly described the modern Colored Dorking : " Let 
them be of reddish or dark plumage, with black wings. 



8 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

* * * * * Let the breeding hens be of 

robust body, square built, full breasted, large heads, with 
upright and bright red combs. -st * * * * 

Those are believed to be the best bred with five toes." 
There has always been a dispute as to which was 
the more ancient variety of Dorkings, the White or the 
Colored. As both varieties are known to have existed, if 
we may rely upon the ancient writers who have given a 
description of a fowl which fits the Dorking, at so early 
a date as to leave their origin in the mythical period 
which precedes the dawn of history, no satisfactory set- 
tlement of this dispute is likely to be arrived at. The 
difficulty remains an insoluble one. The advocates of 
the claims of the White to priority urge that the Colored 
Dorking was produced by a cross of the White variety 
upon the ancient Sussex fowl, and instance the fact 
that some strains of Colored Dorkings were very uncer- 
tain in the production of the fifth toe ; the advocates of 
the Colored Dorking, on the other hand, claim that, as 
the Colored surpasses the White variety in size, the White 
is, therefore, but a degenerate descendant of the older 
variety. Mr. Martin Doyle, the author of " The Illus- 
trated Book of Domestic Poultry," makes the following 
ingenious suggestion : " If we may venture to offer a 
conjecture on this abstract point of physiology, we should 
say that as in vegetable propagation, white flowers are 
often found to -break or degenerate into colors, although 
colored flowers do not become pure white, — so, by anal- 
ogy, the white bird would degenerate into a colored one 
though the converse would be unnatural." This explana- 
tion we cannot, however, accept. Analogies aie always 



THE BOOK OF THE DOR'KING. 9 

dangerous things to rely upon, especially when, as in this 
case, they are drawn from different kingdoms of the 
created world. We know that white birds are constantly 
appearing as " sports " among colored ones, but never 
knew of the converse. White crows, white blackbirds, 
white sparrows, white Spanish, white Langshans, white 
Javas, white Plymouth Rocks, white Wyandottes, have 
frequently appeared, but who can cite a well authenti- 
cated case where a colored domesticated bird appeared 
among white ones, when it could not be shown to have 
come from a cross or was the result of reversion ? 
White feathers are easy to get and hard to get rid of. 
If the Colored Dorking sprang from the White variety, 
as some eminent authorities believe, it resufted from a 
cross and not otherwise ; but the White Dorking might 
have appeared as a ''sport." We are willing to allow 
this question to remain unsettled, claihiir?g no superiority 
of antiquity for either White or Colored Dorkings. 

VARIETIES. 

In this country three varieties of Dorkings are recog- 
nized by the Standard, the White, the Silver Gray, and 
the Colored. In size the White is the smallest of the 
three, the Colored the largest, and the Silver Gray inter- 
mediate between the two. The White is bred with a 
rose comb only, the other two varieties with either rose 
or single combs, although the greater number of Colored 
and Silver Gray Dorkings, both in this country and in 
England, their native home, are bred with single combs. 

All three varieties, with the above exceptions and 
with the added one of color and marking, possess the 



lO THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

same characteristics. They all have white or flesh colored 
legs, five toes upon each foot, white skins, long bodies, 
full breasts, heavy thighs, small bones and are wonder- 
fully compact and meaty in their mak^-up. As an old 
writer describes them, " These fowles have very short 
legges, and are small boned throughout, and the offal is 
very light, consequently the proportion of flesh is very 
large." 

Mr. Baily, an eminent London poultry judge, says 
that " There is no breed to be compared with the Dork- 
ing, which unites in itself, more than any other, all the 
properties requisite for supplying the table ; that the 
hens are good sitters and good mothers, and that there 
is a natural tendency in the breed to fatten, so that 
the young ones are made to attain to eight or nine 
pounds' weight, and at table they surpass all others in 
symmetry of shape, and whiteness, and delicacy of flesh." 

The Rev. E. S. Dixon writes : " For those who wish 
to stock their poultry-yard with fowls of the most de- 
sirable shape and size, clothed in rich and variegated 
plumage, and not expecting perfection, the speckled (/. e.y 
Colored^ Dorkings are the breed to be at once selected. 
The hens, in addition to their gay colors, have a large 
vertically flat comb, which, when they are in high health, 
adds very much to their brilliant appearance, particularly 
if seen in bright sunshine. The cocks are magnificent ; 
the most gorgeous hues are frequently lavished upon 
them, which their great size and peculiarly square-built 
form display to the greatest advantage. The breeder, and 
the farmer's wife, behold with delight their broad breast, 
the small proportion of offal, and the large quantity of 



12 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

profitable flesh. The cockerels may be brought to con- 
siderable weights, and the flavour and appearance of the 
meat are inferior to none. The eggs are produced in 
reasonable abundance, and though not equal in size to 
those of Spanish hens, may fairly be called large. They 
are not everlasting layers, but at due and convenient in- 
tervals manifest the desire of sitting. In this respect 
they are steady, and good mothers when the little ones 
appear." 

Another writer says of them, that '' of all domestic 
fowls with which he was acquainted, the Dorkings must 
carry off the palm for their good size and lofty carriage, 
for the beauty and variety of their plumage, and, lastly, 
for their exceptional table qualities." 

Mr. L. Wright, an eminent poultry author, thus de- 
scribes the Dorking : " The body should be deep and 
full, the breast being protuberant and plump, especially 
in the cock, whose breast, as viewed sideways, ought to 
form a right angle with the lower part of his body. 
Both back and breast must be broad, the latter showing 
no approach to hollowness, and the entire general make 
full and plump, but neat and compact. Hence a good 
bird should weigh more than it appears to do." 

These descriptions ought to bring before the reader's 
imagination a fowl in which solidity is a pre-eminent 
quality, whose peculiar figure fits it for the table. No 
better shape could be devised for this purpose, as it 
provides for little waste in comparison with the amount 
of flesh. 

May we not, in view of the mania of our people for 
new varieties, echo the sentiment of the editor of the 



14 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

Agricultural Gazette, who said of Mr. Baily, that " he 
should be encouraged in his endeavor to bring us back 
to Dorkings and common sense ?" 

THE WHITE DORKING. 

The White Dorking, by some regarded as the oldest 
of all varieties of Dorkings, has the gener^ characteris- 
tics of all the varieties. In plumage it is pure white, 
although there is more or less tendency in cocks to be- 
come somewhat yellow upon the back, hackle and saddle. 
This is a characteristic of all white fowls. It is bred 
only with a rose comb, which should be square in front, 
fit firmly and evenly upon the head, be comparatively 
flat upon the top and evenly covered with small points, 
and terminate in a large spike or projection behind, 
which should curve slightly upwards. The carriage should 
be elegant and stately. An old writer upon the subject 
of Dorkings, as quoted by Mr. George T. Goodwin, an 
enthusiastic and eminent breeder of Dorkings, says : 
" This variety seldom attains the large size of the darker 
shades, but this does not prove any inferiority. For 
general use we do not advise this variety, unless the lo- 
cation should be on a dry and sandy soil, as success in 
breeding would require constant attention to prevent any 
discoloration of feather. This disadvantage is no greater 
than in other pure white varieties, and the fowls have 
also the great advantage of the small bones and tender 
flesh so peculiar to this breed, in all its varieties." 

Upon a lawn a white fowl shows off to great advan- 
tage, and the goodly size, even though less than that of 
the other varieties, the plump, compact figure, the bright 



l6 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

red comb and wattles contrasting with the pure white 
plumage, make the White Dorking a fine appearing fowl 
where it can have a good grass run. 



THE SILVER GRAY DORKING. 

The Silver Gray Dorking originated without doubt 
from the Colored variety. In a brood of Colored Dork- 
ing chicks there frequently appears one or more that are 
much lighter in color than the others. The selection of 
these lighter chicks as breeding stock in time produced 
this variety. 

Although descended from the Colored variety they are 
hardly as large as that variety, but larger than the 
White. 

The Silver Gray cock has the head, neck, and back 
clad in a plumage of silvery whiteness. The wing-bows 
are also silvery white. The breast is a rich, glossy black ; 
the wing-coverts are a metallic black with a green- 
ish lustre, and form a wide bar across the wing ; the 
tail is large and full, and of a rich black color, the 
sickle-feathers having a green lustre ; the tail-coverts are 
of a glossy black, the lesser coverts having an edging 
of white. The under parts of the body and the thighs 
are also black. 

The Silver Gray hen has a silvery white neck, silvery 
or slaty gray back, salmon-red breast shading off to gray 
towards the sides, silvery or slaty gray body, dark gray 
tail, and ashy gray thighs. 

Both cock and hen are clad in a handsome plumage, 
and the appearance of the cock is especially striking. 



l8 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

THE COLORED DORKING. 

The Colored Dorking cock closely resembles the Silver 
Gray in plumage, and the one is easily mistaken for the 
other by the casual observer. The hackle of the Colored 
cock displays a broad black stripe down the center of 
each feather; the breast is sometimes splashed with white, 
although a solid black breast is preferred; the wing-bows 
are white or sometimes mixed with black; the back is 
black and white; but in all other respects the plumage 
of the Colored Dorking cock is like that of the Silver 
Gray. 

The Colored hen has a black or nearly black head, 
the feathers of the neck black edged with gray, the back 
dark gray marked with black, the breast dark salmon 
marked with black, body dark brown, tail dark brown or 
gray on the outside, black on the inside, and the thighs 
dark gray or brown. She is darker throughout in her 
plumage than her Silver Gray sister. 

The Standard fixes no weights for the White and 
Silver Gray varieties, but for the Colored it gives the 
following : 

Cock, 9^ lbs. Hen, 7^ lbs. 

Cockerel, 8 lbs. Pullet, 6 lbs. 

These weights are rather high, although occasional 
specimens are found to exceed them. A cock which 
weighs 8 lbs. and a hen which weighs 6 lbs. may be 
regarded as good birds. Cocks have been known to reach 
12 lbs. in weight and hens 9 lbs., but such instances are 
rare, and the great weight was due to excessive fatness. 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING, 



19 



THE DORKING AS AN EGG PRODUCER. 

The Dorking lays a good-sized, white egg with a 
slight creamy tint, not pronounced enough to be called 
a colored egg. The eggs are of a good flavor and ex- 
cellent for culinary purposes. But they are not produced 
in so great abundance as one could wish. The fowl's 
chief claim is for its admirable table qualities. It has 
been bred for this purpose for centuries, and it would 
be nothing surprising if prolificacy should have been over- 
looked. And yet among Dorkings some hens will be 
found that are prolific layers. There is a record of a 
Dorking hen which laid one hundred and eighteen eggs 
in one hundred and twenty-one days, a record not easily 
broken even by the Leghorns or Hamburgs. 

Mr. Martin Doyle, in his "Illustrated Book of Domes- 
tic Poultry," furnishes a series of interesting tables show- 
ing the comparative merit of four breeds of fowls as 
producers of eggs. From this series we make the fol- 
lowing table. 



Hatched 
April loth, 1851. 




P. 


It. 

1^ 


Number of eggs 

laid from April loth, 

1852, to April 

loth, 1853. 


Total number of 

eggs laid during 

two ye^rs from date 

of hatching. 




— V 

rt 



4 Shanghais, 
4 Spanish, 
4 Dorkings, 
4 Polish, 


Oct. 19, 
Dec. 7, 
Dec. I, 
Nov. 26, 


709 
452 
471 
512 


1059 

928 
969 

885 


1768 
1380 
1440 
1397 


oz. 
3569 

3456 

3004 

2961 



20 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. . 

An examination of this table shows that from the date 
of hatching until the fowls were two years old four 
Dorking hens laid 1,440 eggs or an average of 360 eggs 
each, which would be 180 eggs per year, but if we 
reckon the laying from the time when they began to lay, 
viz., December ist, we shall have as the actual laying time 
but one year, four months and ten days, or at the rate 
of over 249 eggs each per year, a rate which even the 
best strains of Leghorns seldom equal. 

In our own experience we have found Colored Dork- 
ing hens that were exceptionally good layers, but as a 
rule Dorkings are not the best of layers. By selecting 
from these extra layers eggs for hatching and continuing 
to follow this practice for a number of years, a strain 
of Dorking hens possessing extraordinary prolificacy might 
be established. There is' good material to build on, and 
we can see no reason why success might not crown the 
wisely directed efforts of any breeder who has persistency 
as one of his endowments. 

AS A TABLE FOWL 

the Dorking acknowledges no superior. The flesh is dis- 
posed just where it is most wanted; it is juicy, tender, 
and of delicious flavor. As Mr. Goodwin says : ".No 
man knows better than an English Squire that when he 
has a bird of this breed properly cooked and served on 
his board, he has .the best that the kingdom affords." 
Mr. L. Wright, than whom there is no better authority, 
says : " The great merit of Dorkings has already been 
hinted at, and consists in their unrivalled excellence as 
table fowls. In this respect we never expect to see them 



:€> 




22 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

surpassed. The meat is not only abundant and of 
good quality, surpassing any other English breed except 
Game, but is produced in the greatest quantity in the 
choicest parts — breast, merry-thought and wings. Add to 
this, that no breed is so easily got into good condition 
for the table, and enough has been said to justify the 
popularity of this beautiful English fowl." 

We might multiply quotations to the same effect for 
many pages, but enough already has been said to point 
out the simple fact that for the table the Dorking stands 
without a rival. 

CAPONS. 

Caponizing a fowl is the same thing as castrating a 
calf. We shall not attempt a description of the process, 
as no one would undertake it without procuring a suita- 
'ble set of instruments, and with each set of instruments 
complete printed instructions are sent. The operation is 
not a difficult one to perform, and a little practice would 
enable one to become quite skillful in it. It is surpris- 
ing that more capons are not made, for there can be no 
more profitable way of disposing of the extra cockerels 
that are annually reared and not wanted for breeding 
purposes. No variety of fowl is better suited for this 
purpose than the Dorking, especially the Colored Dorking. 
Delicious capons of great size could be reared that in 
the city markets would command a very high price. We 
think the time is not far distant when this branch of 
the poultry industry will be better understood, and when 
capons will be more abundant than they now are. . As 
our population more and more centers in the cities, the 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 23 

demand for '' a good fat capon " will be increased ; and 
as the merits of the Colored Dorking for this purpose 
become better known the demand for them will become 
still greater. 

CROSSING. 

We do not believe in keeping cross-bred fowls, and 
yet it cannot be denied that great advantages arise to 
the market poulterer from crossing. By the purchase of 
a single cock the value of his year's produce may be 
greatly increased. For market purposes a Dorking cock 
can be confidently recommended. The farmer may keep 
for instance a flock of Leghorn hens to supply him with 
an abundance of eggs. With these he can allow a Dork- 
ing cock to run, and while the supply of eggs is not 
diminished the value of his chicks, for market, both on 
account of the greater size and the improved quality, is 
very appreciably increased. The Dorking crossed with 
any of the large breeds, the Brahmas and Cochins, pro- 
duces an admirable table-fowl, the Dorking blood improv- 
ing greatly the quality of the flesh, and rendering the 
fowl more easily fattened for the table. The rearing of 
market poultry has not received that attention in this 
country which its importance demands, and which it is 
destined to receive in the near future. When that time 
comes, as come it must, we shall find many cross-bred 
fowls which owe their excellence as table-fowls to the 
blood of the Dorking. 

THE DORKING AS AN INCUBATOR AND BROODER. 

There is no better sitter than a quiet Dorking hen. 
Objection has been made to the fifth toe as more liable 



24 1'HE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

to break the eggs or tread upon the chickens, but ex- 
perience proves this objection utterly unfounded. In a 
season when other hens brought off broods of five and 
six chickens, we have hatched under a Colored Dorking 
hen every egg. As mothers they are exemplary. They 
run with their chickens longer than many varieties, and 
take excellent care of them. As incubators and brooders 
we can recommend them as " equalled by few and sur- 
passed by none." 

TAMENESS. 

We have found the Dorking a fowl that can be 
easily rendered tame. This is a quality frequently over- 
looked in making the choice of a breed, but one which 
counts for much in the satisfaction to be derived from 
keeping fowls. Some varieties are naturally shy, and al- 
though subjected to the kindest treatment, the sudden 
appearance of the owner will set them wildly flying in 
every direction. But Dorkings are unlike this. They 
welcome the presence of -their attendant and crowd 
around him whenever he appears. They are frequently 
very amusing in their ways. We had a Colored Dorking 
hen that would come running up to us, and would pick 
at the buttons on our shoes until we took her up and 
petted her, and then she would seem contented, as if 
she had gained the attention that she felt she deserved. 
One soon becomes very much attached to a flock of 
tame fowls, and would not willingly part with them. 
And there is something more than sentiment in this 
quality. It is a very great convenience. It is often 
necessary to examine a fowl closely, and it is very try- 



26 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

ing to the patience and temper to be obliged to spend 
a quarter of an hour in the pursuit of a bird, and then 
perhaps not succeed in catching it. When one has tried 
this he quickly wishes that he owned a flock with a 
different disposition, and he is quite likely to feel the 
necessity of making a change in the breed kept. We 
have never known any one, for this reason, to wish to 
change his Dorkings for any other variety. 

MATING. ' 

In mating White Dorkings, it is necessary to select 
birds having a pure white plumage, with no colored feath- 
ers, a good comb, not too large, and setting squarely 
upon the head, and birds of the largest size obtainable. 
The smaller size of this variety has been one of the 
greatest obstacles to its achieving the popularity that it 
really deserves. We believe that the size might be im- 
proved by mating with a White cock some of the light- 
est colored hens of the Silver Gray variety. From such 
a mating some pure white chicks would be obtained, and 
a cockerel from these could be bred back to White hens. 
A few colored feathers might appear in the second gen- 
eration, but by selecting only pure white specimens of this 
generation to breed from, and mating them again with 
White birds, in the third generation colored feathers 
would probably not appear, and the breeder would be 
amply repaid in the increased size of the fowls. 

In Silver Grays it is essential not only that the cock 
and hens should be of the standard colors and mark- 
ings, but should be bred from Silver Grays themselves. 
In a flock of Colored Dorkings, Silver Gray chicks oc- 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 2/ 

casionally appear, but they cannot be relied upon for 
the breeduig of Silver Grays. Many of the chicks from 
such a pen, from the operation of the law of -reversion, 
will throw back to their grandparents, and will resem- 
ble the Colored Dorking in color and marking. The 
cock should have a pure silvery white hackle, free from 
any black stripe, saddle, wing-bows and back of the 
same character, and a solid black breast. The hens 
should be of large size, and of standard color. In all 
matings of Dorkings the size of the hens is an impor- 
tant matter. Upon the hen, more than upon the cock, 
depends the size of the chicks. 

In mating Colored Dorkings the black stripe in the 
hackle and saddle-feathers is to be insisted upon, and a 
plentiful admixture of black upon the back and wing- 
bows is essential. If the hackle has the broad black 
stripe, the back and the wing-bows will be of the de- 
sired character. We prefer that the cock should have a 
solid black breast, other things being equal, but a good 
bird otherwise is not to be rejected because the breast 
is slightly mottled. The hens should be well broken in 
feather, the black markings being clearly discernible, and 
they should be of good size, and of standard color. 

In mating both Silver Grays and Colored Dorkings, 
the cocks and hens should have the same kind of comb, 
rose combs being mated to rose combs, and single combs 
with single combs. 

In all varieties of Dorkings the peculiar shape of the 
body, a well defined parallelogram, the characteristic fifth 
toe, and the white or flesh-colored leg, are matters not 
to be overlooked. 



28 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

Such matings will produce chicks that will show a 
good percentage of birds, when matured, that are fit for 
the exhibition room or the breeding pen. 

NUMBER OF HENS TO COCK. 

The number of hens to cock will vary somewhat ac- 
cording to the activity of the cock. An active cockerel, 
about one year old, w^ill answer for about ten hens. An 
old cock ought not to be allowed more than five or six. 
We prefer a cockerel mated to hens two or three years 
old, allowing him eight or ten. If pullets are used, we 
should prefer to mate them with a good two year old 
cock. Avoid, so far as possible, mating young birds 
together, /. e. pullets with a cockerel. The very best 
mating is of a cockerel about one year old with large 
two or three year old hens. The chicks from an old 
hen's eggs are larger and stronger when first hatched, 
and this advantage they maintain at all stages of growth. 
Chicks from the eggs of pullets never overtake those 
from the eggs of hens, and the losses in rearing are 
much larger. This is a matter the importance of which 
is to a great extent overlooked, but the breeder cannot 
afford to neglect it. Each year the most promising pul- 
lets should be saved and kept among the laying stock, 
and the next year from them the breeding stock should 
be selected. 

INBREEDING. 

Avoid inbreeding. No fowls deteriorate more rapidly 
when inbred than the Dorkings. Fresh blood is indis- 
pensable, if size and hardiness is to be kept up. The 
breeder of Dorkings should either keep enough pens of 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 29 

breeding stock to insure the introduction of fresh blood 
annually, or should each year purchase a good male bird 
from the yards of some responsible breeder. It will pay 
hmi to do so. He will get more and better chicks by 
so domg. If we were to condense the subject of the 
successful breedmg of Dorkings into three principles, we 
should name them as follows : 

First. Fresh blood! 
Second. Fresh blood ! ! 
Third. FRESH BLOOD!!! 

Nothing is of greater importance than this, and too 
much stress cannot be laid upon it. 

THE CHICK. 

The White Dorking chick is, of course, white in 
color when first hatched. The Silver Gray and Colored 
Dorking chicks are of brownish gray color, with well de- 
fined stripes on their backs, like the chipmunks of New 
England. They are " sleek, line-backed, five-toed beau- 
ties." The wing-feathers appear at a very early age and 
show the characteristic gray color. All Dorking chicks, 
from the earliest age, display the characteristic Dorking 
shape. 

As chicks they are somewhat delicate to rear, although 
hardy as fowls, and should not be hatched either too 
early or too late in the season. We have met with the 
best success in May and June hatched chicks, prefer- 
ring these months to all others for this purpose. Hatched 
at this time they thrive, and but few die. They grow 
rapidly and mature quite early, and are fit for the spit 



30 THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 

at almost any age. They make the best of broilers, be- 
cause of their meaty qualities. They can be . used for 
this purpose at the age of about eight weeks, and from 
that time on are ready for market at any period of 
their growth. 

Dry feeding is the best. Our plan of feeding is as 
follows : The chicks are left undisturbed until about 
twenty-four hours old. They are then removed with their 
mother to a suitable coop, and are fed for four or five 
days upon hard boiled eggs, chopped very fine and 
mixed with bread crumbs. Fresh water is kept con- 
stantly before them. At the expiration of four or five 
days we give them steam-cooked oatmeal dry, such as is 
purchased for family use, and in the state that it is ob- 
tained from the grocer, alternating with fine cracked 
corn. As soon as they are old enough to eat it, we 
vary this diet with whole wheat. Cracked bone and 
oyster shells are kept constantly before them. Ground 
beef scraps are fed about every other day. Milk, sweet 
or sour, is given them for drink when we have it. We 
should like to keep it constantly before them. In case 
the chicks appear to droop, we give them an occasional 
boiled egg, chopped fine, with a little Indian meal wet 
up thick with boiling water and seasoned slightly with 
cayenne pepper, but we find this very seldom necessary. 

For the first two or three weeks we feed our chicks 
five times a day, in the morning, in the middle of the 
forenoon, at noon, in the middle of the afternoon, and 
at night. After that we feed three times a day until 
well grown. 

We keep a sharp outlook for lice. Nothing so saps 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. 3I 

the vitality of a chick as the presence of lice. They 
are generally to be found upon the head, burrowing into 
the skull. If the chick is not very closely examined, 
their presence will not be detected. When a chick be- 
gins to droop, even if an examination does not disclose 
any lice, it is perfectly safe to grease the head thoroughly 
with lard. For lice we use lard, sulphur, or Persian In- 
sect Powder, each separately, but never in combination. 
Sulphur and lard combined we regard as deadly to 
chicks, an opinion reached by the experience of the loss 
of two whole broods which we had annointed with the 
mixture. Dry sulphur thoroughly sprinkled through the 
down, or Persian Insect Powder so used, will cause the 
vermin to disappear. Greasing the head alone we have 
found very effectual. 

With this kind of care we have succeeded in rearing 
whole broods without the loss of a single chick. Other 
methods of feeding and care may be equally good, but 
we are satisfied from actual trial that this is good 
enough. We have tried other methods but none that 
gave us better satisfaction. 

EXHIBITING DORKINGS. 

In matching Dorkings for exhibition great care is 
essential. It is necessary in the White variety that the 
plumage should be pure white, free from colored feathers, 
and from all stains. It is justifiable and necessary some- 
times to wash the birds before exhibiting them. They 
should be carefully dried and kept warm, so that no cold 
will be taken after the washing. Size is very important, 
and the largest birds of the best shape should be selected. 



32 THE BOUK OF THE DORKING. 

The combs should be rose, and those of the hens 
should be as nearly of one size as possible, and of both 
cock and hens such as are described in the Standard. 
The legs of both cock and hens should be of the same 
shade of color, and the characteristic fifth toe should be 
found on all the fowls. ' 

In Silver Grays, the cock should show no black in 
hackle, back, saddle or wing-bows. His breast and under 
parts should be solid black. The hens should match in 
color and size. The combs may be either rose or single, 
but should be the same upon both cock and hens ; they 
all should have rose combs or single combs. 

In Colored Dorkings, the cock should weigh 9^ lbs. 
or more, the hen 7^ lbs., and in chicks the cockerel 
should weigh 8 lbs. and the pullet 6 lbs. These are the 
standard weights, and it is well to have exhibition birds 
full on weight, especially as this point counts twelve in 
the score. The cock may have a mottled breast, but a 
solid black one is preferred and stands a better chance 
of winning. The hackle should have a broad black stripe 
down the center ; many Colored Dorking cocks fail in 
this, but as this is one of the distinctions between the 
Colored and Silver Gray, it is well to insist upon it. 
The markings and colors should be according to the re- 
quirements of the Standard. The hens should match in 
color and size, and both cock and hens should match in 
combs, all having either single or rose combs. 

In judging Dorkings, special attention is given to Sym- 
metry, Size, Comb, Breast and Body, forty-two points 
out of a possible hundred being allowed for these parts. 
While other parts are not to be neglected in selecting 



THE BOOK OF THE DORKING. ^^ 

exhibition birds, it is well to select those that are as 
nearly perfect as possible in these parts. After these, 
be careful for Back, Wings and Tail Condition is also 
another point to be specially regarded, and the birds 
should be in perfect health and full plumage. 

THE SUPERIORITY OF THE COLORED OVER OTHER VA- 
RIETIES OF DORKINGS. 

While we admire all varieties of Dorkings, we place 
first in our estimation the Colored variety. We do so 
for the following reasons : 

I St. They are the largest variety. The Dorking being 
first of all bred for its flesh, size is the most important 
of all the qualities. Too much breeding to feather has 
somewhat reduced the size of the Silver Gray, although 
it originated from the Colored Dorking. It is still a 
noble bird, and of good size, but seldom attains the 
great weight that is reached by the finest specimens of 
the Colored variety. 

2d. They are the hardiest. Too much inbreeding, 
to fix the color of the Silver Gray, has not only re- 
duced its size, but has diminished its hardiness. This 
has not been the case with the Colored Dorking. Greater 
latitude in feathering has been allowed, and breeders 
have selected the largest and hardiest specimens for their 
breeding pens. 

3d. We think the plumage of the Colored superior 
to that of the Silver Gray or White. The hackle of 
cocks especially is very handsome, the broad black stripe 
adding much to the beauty of the feathering. 

4th. We believe the Colored the most prolific variety. 
The causes which have operated to reduce the hardiness 



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